Chapter 6

Cassius' s grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. The veins on his hands pulsed, a visible testament to the rage simmering beneath his skin. The car lurched forward, accelerating sharply.

"Cassius, slow down!" I heard Kori' s weak cry from the back seat. "I don't feel well!"

He instinctively eased his foot off the accelerator, glancing anxiously in the rearview mirror. "Kori, are you alright?" His voice was laced with immediate concern, a stark contrast to the cold fury he had directed at me moments before. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you."

Kori whimpered softly, then her eyes, deceptively sweet, met mine in the rearview mirror. A flicker of triumph, quickly masked, crossed her face. She was enjoying this, the drama, the attention.

I ignored them both. The car pulled up to the familiar curb. I opened the door before Cassius could even put the car in park. I didn't hesitate. I walked straight to my old house, the one I had fled from, the one that held so many ghosts.

The front door opened with a groan, revealing a familiar hallway, frozen in time. The air was thick with dust and memories. My old room, untouched, silent. I pushed open the door. The faint scent of lavender, my mother' s favorite, still lingered.

My eyes fell on a framed photograph on my bedside table, yellowed with age. It was a picture of my mother and me, taken years ago. She was radiant, her arm wrapped lovingly around my shoulders, her smile full of warmth. My finger traced her face, a wave of longing crashing over me. The pain was still sharp, still real.

"Alana, you're spending too much time with Cassius," her voice, soft but firm, echoed in my memory. "Your grades are slipping. And that boy... he' s not right. He' s too possessive. Too controlling."

I remembered my teenage self, rebellious and smitten, rolling my eyes. "Mom, he loves me! And you' re just jealous because Dad pays more attention to Aunt Clara and Kori than he does to you!"

The words had been flung in a fit of pique, thoughtless and cruel. Her face had paled, her smile fading. She had just stared at me, a deep, wounded look in her eyes, before turning away in silence.

Days later, she was gone. A note, brief and heartbreaking. A jump from the balcony, a desperate escape from a life of betrayal and loneliness. And my cruel words, so carelessly thrown, became an eternal brand on my soul.

I buried my face in my hands, a silent sob wracking my body. The regret was a cold, bitter taste in my mouth. She had seen it all, the cracks in our family, the insidious creep of Kori and her mother. She had tried to warn me, and I, in my naive, selfish love, had pushed her away.

A sudden, violent slam of the door made me jump. Cassius stood there, his face a mask of primal fury. He slammed the door shut, trapping us in the small room. He stalked towards me, his eyes burning with an unsettling intensity.

He grabbed my shoulders, pushing me against the wall. His fingers, surprisingly gentle but firm, traced the faint mark on my neck. His breath was hot on my face.

"Who did this?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Who did this to you? Was it some pathetic doctor, some intern trying to get a rise out of you?" He ran his thumb over the mark again, a possessive, almost violent gesture. "Did you do this to yourself, Alana? To provoke me?"

His words were so absurd, so utterly divorced from reality, that a hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. He truly believed I was still obsessed with him, still trying to get his attention. The arrogance was breathtaking.

"Let go of me, Cassius," I said, pushing against his chest, trying to create some space between us. He was too close, too suffocating.

Just then, the door burst open again. Kori stood there, her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes wide with feigned shock. Tears welled up in them, perfectly timed.

"Cassius? Alana? What's going on here?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Are you... are you two back together?"

I scoffed, a cold, harsh sound. "Don't flatter yourself, Kori," I said, my voice dripping with disdain. "He wouldn't know what to do with a real woman, let alone a woman who knows her worth."

Cassius' s grip tightened on my shoulders, his face contorted with anger. Kori' s jaw clenched, her innocent facade cracking just for a moment. The air in the room was thick with unspoken threats, with a rivalry that ran deeper than any of them could comprehend.